Inside the Jewel.
When I found myself seated around a round table with the Successive Heads, I was taken aback by their uncharacteristic responses.
"Huh? There's no clever strategy like usual?"
The Fifth Generation looked exasperated at my words, pressing his left hand to his forehead.
"Are you an idiot? I've told you before — war is a numbers game. Even if we have the advantage of fighting a defensive battle, we're up against an army of tens, maybe hundreds of thousands. You think we can win that easily?"
The Third Generation seemed to share the same opinion, chuckling as always.
"There's no overcoming a simple difference in numbers like this. We've got a little time, so we just do what we can."
The Fourth Generation took off his glasses.
"You think our predecessors never came up with the same strategies we'd think of? The moment the Dungeon went out of control, we'd already lost. Times like this, playing it safe is best."
Then why did they recommend I go to the front lines?
"Does that mean we can't win? Then why did you decide I should take the front lines?!"
The Seventh Generation grinned.
"The victory Baim aims for and the victory Laiel aims for are different things. Sure, you could call it a loss from Baim's perspective. But well — we'll win."
As I tilted my head in confusion, Mireia appeared behind me and let out a sigh.
"Laiel, think bigger. A small country that let its Dungeon run wild — Baim won't be sending rescue, will it? And even once this crisis ends, will Baim help rebuild the small country? Or will they just take it over themselves?"
Baim doesn't particularly covet territory.
After all, they govern in a rather unconventional way — even if their territory expanded, they couldn't maintain it. No, more precisely, they believe the returns wouldn't be worth the effort.
When this Dungeon went out of control, they had warned the neighboring country. But by the time the neighbor took action, it was already too late — the Dungeon was on the verge of going berserk.
The real problem is that the rampaging Dungeon is on Baim's side of the border, and monsters will inevitably invade Baim as well.
The Guild also predicted that most of the Monsters would head toward Baim's side of the border, and in practice, Monsters did tend to gravitate toward large, densely populated cities.
The Third Generation explained things to me, since I didn't quite understand.
"Now then, Baim's policy means they won't cling to land. But not every country is like that, right? What about the country beyond our neighbor's neighbor — Reiel?"
"That would be Banseim. Will they make a move?"
The Fourth Generation's glasses glinted as he spoke.
"They will. In fact, there should be a military buildup at the border right now. It's ostensibly for defense, but once that's done, there's a real chance they'll push in. They can come up with all sorts of justifications — rebuilding, reconstruction, what have you — but the real issue is this: nobody trusts a country that let its Dungeon go berserk."
If it had gone berserk in some uninhabited frontier region, that would be understandable.
Even if a Dungeon formed somewhere no one ever visited, a delayed response would be par for the course. But that was precisely why lords and similar authorities existed in the first place.
The Successive Heads were already looking past the current defensive battle — toward what came after victory.
The Fifth Generation spoke up.
"Banseim becomes our new neighbor. Even if they can't act right away, Baim will have to deal with the situation eventually… Can we really feel safe with nothing but a shabby fortress at the border? Ideally, I'd like Baim to buy us some time. We've been granted full authority over the fortress, so I intend to make various moves."
Ultimately, if it came down to the worst-case scenario, Baim would be fine as long as its city remained intact. Even if they lost the surrounding towns and villages, even if their food self-sufficiency plummeted, the city itself could rebuild — that was Baim for you.
As a city of merchants and adventurers, it had more than enough wealth to simply purchase food in bulk.
For that reason, the bulk of their forces were concentrated in the fortress city of Baim, bolstering its defenses.
Evacuation efforts were also well underway, and a great number of people from the surrounding areas had already gathered inside Baim.
The assembled manpower would likely be pressed into service as improvised soldiers.
The Fourth Generation chimed in.
"Shall we expand the fortress? Not just for this current defense — but so we can project power over Banseim in the future."
"You'd already thought that far ahead? You really do love war, don't you."
At that, the Third Generation put on a look of exasperation.
"Huh? I hate it. I told you that before, didn't I?"
"Um, but..."
The Seventh Generation spoke, as if admonishing me.
"Listen, Lail. War is nothing more than one tool among many. It's not something you do because you enjoy it."
"No, but you certainly seem eager for it."
The Fifth Generation answered bluntly.
"Once we've decided to do it, we do it thoroughly. Listen — if I could, I'd never go to war. It's better not to. It costs money, you lose the people you've trained, supplies run dry... it's the absolute worst. But if it comes to that, all you can do is give it everything you've got."
Mireia didn't interject.
Then the Fourth Generation looked right at me.
"Lail, for a lord, war is just an extension of your everyday duties. Avoid it if you can, but keep your military strong enough so your enemies won't attack needlessly. Remember that. It's the same when fighting Monsters. Always keep your purpose in mind. You fight because you need to. That's all there is to it."
Seeing the serious expressions on all four of them, I nodded in silence.
Then the Third Generation raised a hand.
"Are we done here? Then shall we get back to the main topic... Let's go tell the Guild to send people! They definitely won't, though!"
Seeing how cheerful the Third Generation looked, Mireia chimed in as well.
"Well then, why bother asking at all?"
"Because I want the fact that we asked for cooperation and got refused! We need to start building up these facts now, for the future!"
"So you can seize power down the line. How wonderful!"
Watching the two of them laughing together so merrily, the Fourth Generation muttered under his breath.
"I want to squeeze more out of that bastard Fidel. He definitely still has room to spare. And honestly, it's frustrating that Baim hasn't budged an inch over something like this."
The Fifth Generation gazed at the three-dimensional map of the fortress surroundings displayed on the round table.
"Given the time constraints, manpower, and the funds available, this place could be massively expanded. As for traps—what kind should we set up... which one would be best?"
He grinned to himself, contemplating where to deploy the traps.
The Seventh Generation said with a cheerful smile.
"We've got reserves in the rear anyway. Surely we can let a few slip through. Besides, any recovered Magic Stones and materials are yours to take back. Baim seems prepared to buy them, but nobody said anything about selling to him."
The Third Generation said, laughing.
"The advance team has already entered the fortress, and preparations are well underway. Baim said we could do whatever we want here since it won't hold out anyway! So let's go all out!"
I looked at the five of them and thought.
(Liars. They're all definitely enjoying this!)
──At the Redant Fortress, stationed on Baim's border, Baim's soldiers were carrying out a handover.
Normally, only a small garrison of administrative soldiers occupied the fortress, with a few mercenary bands hired for defense. They weren't on edge at the border—their duties amounted to hunting Monsters in the surrounding area to ensure safety.
The neighboring country also owed debts to Baim and wouldn't dare launch an invasion. The fortress existed more as a formality than anything.
The soldier captain was handing things over to the officer who had come to the fortress—the very fortress they were abandoning.
The other party was Noi Bärdel.
Commander of Zayin's Holy Knight Order, he had brought over nine thousand personnel to the fortress.
"Uh, um..."
"Is there something else?"
When Noi said that, the soldier captain spotted a new column approaching along the road.
Judging by the banners, Rolfis's knight order was at the forefront, with ranks of soldiers following behind. Their numbers were comparable to Zayin's.
"No, it's just... I heard you'll be defending this place, but are you serious? This fortress is, well... more of a decoration."
The soldier captain had been thinking it was absurd that foreign troops would be assigned here to defend the very place they themselves were fleeing from.
However, in reality, tens of thousands of troops had converged on a tiny fortress. Was it really okay for them to flee? That was the thought that kept nagging at him.
"Those are our orders, sir. Don't worry — we'll do our best to keep them from pushing through to the rear. But it is awfully small. I've passed through here before, but I'm not sure what to make of it... I received orders to wait for Lord Riel's instructions, but..."
Noi had originally been an adventurer from Baim. He'd been born into a noble family of knights. But after falling on hard times, he'd drifted all the way to Baim.
However, Riel had offered him the position of knight commander, and now he served as a knight of Zayin.
While the soldier captain was still wrestling with his confusion, a large metal box was heading toward the fortress from a different highway—
—It was, at the very least, a place worthy of being fortified. The location was well-suited for defense.
It wasn't situated on flat ground — and while it couldn't quite be called a natural fortress, it was still an ideal spot to place one.
Clara, who had arrived by operating Damian's Porter, confirmed the fortress's information and then turned to the Second and Third Automatons she had borrowed from Damian.
"Alright then — let's gather detailed data and compile a report. I'm sure Riel will be coming, but before he gets here, we need to map out the terrain as thoroughly as we can... Are you listening?"
The Second and Third Automatons wore even more listless expressions than usual, their shoulders slumping right where they stood.
"To think that I can't be at my master's side..."
"That clunky Poyopoyo gets to stay behind, and yet I'm stuck here... I might as well be scrapped."
It had already been decided that Riel would ride May to the fortress afterward, but the borrowed automatons showed not a shred of motivation.
"Um, I really think you should get to work. If Professor Damian shows up and finds nothing done, that's going to be a problem, you know?"
The moment Clara brought up Damian's name—
"Our master has no interest in trivial matters."
"Well, we'll do what we're told, sure. But you can't blame us for lacking motivation. I mean, we are maids, after all."
Clara adjusted the position of her glasses with a finger.
That has absolutely nothing to do with being maids.
Even as that thought crossed her mind, she turned back to look at the fortress.
"Large-scale expansions and whatnot here... Just what is Laiel-san thinking?"
Even if they rushed to enlarge the fortress, it would be meaningless against an army of monsters said to number in the hundreds of thousands. Without some kind of special processing, the fortress would be blown away by their attacks.
They had brought tools and materials packed into Damian's large Porter, but even if they managed to build the fortress in time, it would end up being little more than a facade.
Clara planned to quickly assess the surrounding situation and send the large Porter back to Baim right away. They would receive supplies there and then return here.
Aria had been selected as Clara's escort.
When she stepped down from the Porter, she was yawning while balancing a spear on her shoulder.
"Hey, is it really fine having Adele and Maxim-san give orders out here?"
When Aria asked, Clara nodded.
"They're Laiel-san's instructions. Adele-san seems to be good at that sort of thing, and Maxim-san is here as an escort."
Clara and the others had arrived at the fortress first.
Then there was Adele, carried down from the Porter on Maxim's back. She had gotten drunk midway and was in no condition to be of any use.
Maxim spoke to Adele with a worried expression.
"My lady, are you all right?"
"I-I'm sorry. I can't do this..."
Aria watched Adele looking rather anxious.
"She's going to be okay, right?"
Clara hesitated for a moment, then simply nodded——.
When she went to the Guild headquarters to request manpower, she was turned down gently but firmly.
She asked them to dispatch skilled personnel, but they refused, apparently wanting to concentrate their fighting strength on defending the urban areas.
With Novem and Miranda in tow, I left the Guild headquarters and headed for Rauno-san's office.
Miranda couldn't seem to understand my actions.
"You gave up awfully easily. I thought you'd negotiate more? They were actually surprised by that, you know."
If I had negotiated, they might have sent personnel they couldn't afford to lose.
But in that case, it would have been better if they weren't cooperative from the start.
"It served a purpose. The fact that we weren't able to get their cooperation has been established."
At just that, Miranda narrowed her eyes, perhaps understanding.
"I don't know what you're planning, but I think it's still too early to antagonize the Guild."
Novem said nothing about my actions.
Only—
"What will you do about Eva, Master Lail? Even if we gain the elves' cooperation, their numbers would likely fall short of reaching several hundred, wouldn't they?"
I had asked Eva to reach out to her kin and call for their aid. What I really wanted was for Novem to do it, but she declined with a vague smile.
If I had pressed a little, she might have done it, but I stopped of my own accord.
"Several hundred would be reliable enough. They're originally a hunter-gatherer tribe. The ones who moved to the cities probably put down their bows, but they still have the Song. Don't you think that's important for information control?"
Miranda shrugged.
"Are you already thinking about things after we win? You've got plenty of Songs yourself right now, Lail."
I needed to build connections from now. And I wanted even greater fame.
When it came to that, having the elven Bards on our side was crucial.
Novem looked at me.
"Whatever Master Lail decides is fine."
That was all she said.
Winning here isn't the ultimate goal. That's right. My goal is—
Baim, who still thinks of the conflict as a fire on the far shore, and who, faced with the terror of the Monsters before him, hasn't even seen Ceres standing behind them—
He needed to feel a sense of crisis.
And before he could feel that crisis, I also needed to establish a certain amount of reputation myself—
As the two of us walked, Mireia's voice reached me. It seemed she'd been thinking about Miranda's situation.
"She has talent, doesn't she? But, as I thought, it's still a little lacking. Lail, would you invite Miranda to the Jewel someday? Ah, Shannon too, of course?"
I felt a slight premonition of trouble.